The present invention relates, in general, to storage devices and more particularly relates to a new and useful arrangement to permit storage of utensils in an area approximate to a cooking range where the utensils are accessible and within easy reach.
In general, a cook utilizing a cooking stove needs various knives and utensils and from time to time it is necessary for the cook to move some distance away from the stove in order to secure utensils which were either forgotten or for which the use was not anticipated.
In many situations a cook stove is located on one side of the room and the storage area for utensils is located across the room or at best a few steps away.
In the process of preparing certain foods it is advantageous to have a variety of utensils within easy access for example, in the event of unforeseen occurrences.
The utensils could be, and sometimes are, held in a container adjacent to the stove which takes up space needed for cooking.
Most modern cooking stoves are equiped with hood arrangements of one kind or another located immediately over the cooking stove and the principal function of these hood arrangements is to provide light and provide means for emission of fumes or gases generated by the cooking process.
In general the hood arrangements are as wide as the stove and only a small portion of the hood arrangement is utilized for emission of fluids and/or the provision of light. The present invention comprehends an arrangement where the excess space available in a typical range hood is utilized to accommodate utensil storage. The present funtions of the hood, scavenging gaseous emissions and directing shielded light on the cooking area, would not be compromised in any way by the utensil and knife containers in either the stored or the extended positions. The devices would normally be extended during the cooking periods, which leaves the hoods functionally unaltered. No prior art arrangement is known which provides the advantageous arrangements provided by devices within the scope of the present invention.